The Arrangement
by wazlib88
Summary: "They certainly ran in different crowds; but in the end, the fact remained that they both belonged to esteemed pureblooded families. When it came to matters of marriage, little else mattered." Narcissa Black and Lucius Malfoy during their seventh year. Written for Ollivander's Challenge.


A/N: Ollivander's Challenge, week three. Because of reasons. The prompt was: "Narcissa Black isn't very impressed with Lucius Malfoy's attempts to woo her." This is obviously way different than anything I've written before, so criticisms of the kind nature would be appreciated. :)

Disclaimer: I have no desire to own Lucius or Narcissa, so it's a good thing J.K. Rowling does.

* * *

Narcissa Black had never been particularly inclined to join the dating scene. It wasn't that she had anything against it, but simply that she had always found better ways to occupy her time. Furthermore, it was an entirely pointless exercise considering she would likely have little to no say in who she would end up marrying, anyway. It would probably be one of the smarmy, pigheaded blokes that seemed to comprise the entire population of the Slytherin house; all that mattered, really, was that he came from a pureblooded family. Narcissa had no desire to deviate from this, her family's norm; she'd seen what had happened to Andromeda, after all.

The truth of the matter was that though Narcissa had long ago resigned herself to marrying a Slytherin pureblood, she avoided dating any of them because they were all, in her esteemed opinion, immature, petty, and downright irritating. It was enough to have to attend classes with their type, but to spend her precious free time listening to them singing their own praises and attempting to persuade her to do the same? She would frankly much rather dedicate her time to her research. She had been using her spare moments this year to educate herself: to understand what exactly the whisperings of an impending uprising meant, what dark magic truly entailed.

In retrospect, she supposed she should have known she wouldn't be able to permanently avoid any interaction with the young men in her house. She was seventeen now, of legal age to marry - it was no longer acceptable to deny the inevitable. Over the Christmas holidays, her parents had informed her, under no uncertain terms, that she was to acquaint herself with one Lucius Malfoy, "for the benefit of the family."

Narcissa could not say she had anything against Lucius in particular. He was nearly a carbon copy of the others, though he was rather more outspoken - which perhaps stemmed from the pride with which he carried himself. Narcissa had always considered it a misplaced pride; the Malfoys were respected, yes, but it was well-known that much of what they had was the result of corruption and the influence of galleons. Though she couldn't fault the family for its ambition, Narcissa could not see how such a background could breed such a total sense of self-importance.

Regardless, she had agreed to go to Hogsmeade with Lucius on one chilly Saturday in February. Arranging the date and time had been perhaps the most Narcissa had ever spoken to Lucius during their years at school; she was a private person, whereas he liked to make himself and his influence known. They certainly ran in different crowds; but in the end, the fact remained that they both belonged to esteemed pureblood families. When it came to matters of marriage, little else mattered.

So on the morning of their arranged meeting (because really, it wasn't proper to call it a _date_), Narcissa Black met Lucius Malfoy at the gates. They offered the proper greetings, and began on their way to Hogsmeade. They talked very little during their walk, save for the obligatory remarks and questions after the health of their respective families. There was no use operating under false pretenses; both of them knew that this match was being made only because it was advantageous for their families. At times, Narcissa considered the practice of essentially arranged marriages to be positively medieval. But most times, she simply didn't care.

Lucius led them to a small pub off the main road; The Hog's Head, it was called. Narcissa didn't like the look of it; the few times she had deigned to go to the village on the weekends, she hadn't ventured much further than the Three Broomsticks with a few friends. This pub, on the other hand, was a bit shifty, or crooked - so it suited Lucius, Narcissa noted as he secured them drinks and they took a seat.

"I don't suppose they serve anything edible here?" Narcissa asked disdainfully.

"Not anything that I would risk eating, but it is a quiet place to meet," Lucius replied with an air of someone who knew precisely what he was doing. "I'd have taken you to Madam Puddifoot's, but you do not seem to be the type of girl that would hold romance in high esteem."

"And you know so much about romance?" she muttered coldly, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"More than you might, I daresay," he said. "You know, Narcissa, I was a bit surprised when you proposed this...meeting."

"And why is that?"

"I was under the impression that you were not particularly interested in men," Lucius declared with a disgustingly arrogant snigger. "So tell me, what is it about myself in particular that intrigued you?"

"I think you know perfectly well why I am here," Narcissa replied in a dignified, collected tone.

"I would like to think it stems from more than simply obligation," Lucius said. "And if not, I do believe I can change your mind."

Narcissa had to stop herself from laughing out loud. "You have such confidence?"

"What does a man have if not self-confidence?" Lucius asked haughtily.

"Try me," she dared.

"Alright," Lucius said immediately. Narcissa could nearly feel the waves of pride emanating from his person. "Finish your drink then, and we'll be off."

"No more private conversation?" she asked coolly.

"With you, Miss Black, I do believe actions will speak louder than words," he said, raising his glass in a sort of toast. She did not participate.

Only a few moments later, they were out in the brisk air once again. This time, Lucius had pompously offered his arm to her, which she had taken reluctantly. His acceptance of her challenge had made him perhaps a bit more insufferable - his egotism was simply smothering. However, she could not deny that she was a bit intrigued to see what he had planned.

Two hours later, Narcissa discovered that her original assessment of him had been true: there was little more to Lucius Malfoy than his pocketbook. She had benefitted from their so-called date, to be sure; he had purchased for her several new, expensive quills, a set of rare books, and even a bag full of sweets from Honeydukes. They had no substantive conversations, and Narcissa found that she preferred it this way. Whenever Lucius opened his mouth, she could feel his arrogance and condescending nature pouring out - it reminded her not of a waterfall, but of a gaping wound, bleeding so profusely that no amount of mending could stop it.

Despite Lucius' original desire for privacy, they found themselves in the Three Broomsticks come lunchtime, due chiefly to his reluctance to walk so far as the Hog's Head for the second time in one day. Instead, he managed to bully his way into a table in the back of the crowded establishment, and once again the two found themselves at the liberty of their ability to make conversations, with no money to distract them from the person sitting across from them.

"Have you enjoyed yourself?" he asked when they could no longer ignore each other politely.

"I suppose," Narcissa replied in a level tone. "Though I was under the impression that you were attempting to forge a personal connection between us, and all I've learned about you is that you have a seemingly endless supply of galleons - which, really, hardly qualifies as new knowledge."

"Are you complaining?" he asked simply, raising an eyebrow.

"Thank you for the gifts," she said by way of answer, "but it simply assures me that this match will mean little more than a pure bloodline and a full vault at Gringotts."

"And what more could a woman want?" Lucius asked with a sneer.

"Plenty," Narcissa replied coolly, "but I can't say I'm particularly interested in it."

"So it has worked, then," Lucius said triumphantly.

"Moving beyond the obligatory? I'd think not," Narcissa said shortly. "It's no matter, though. We both know how this will end. So long as you don't attempt to play me like one of your little pawns, I imagine we'll be quite a fine couple."

Lucius considered for a moment, then finished the rest of his drink in one gulp. "Would you like to accompany me back to the castle, Narcissa?"

She followed him gladly, eager to end this pathetic attempt at courtship. Now more than ever, the entire process seemed insignificant. She would marry Lucius Malfoy, sure - it would be no different than marrying any other pureblooded Slytherin, really. Still, she had no desire to be with him quite yet, and spending the morning with him had simply cemented that in her mind. Surely, the rest of their lives would be long enough to get acquainted, anyway. Their walk back to the castle was silent, as was their descent into the dungeons to retreat to their common room.

However, Narcissa wasn't able to slip away quite that easily. Instead, she felt Lucius' cold hand on her wrist as she made to turn away for her dormitory.

"What is it you want?" she asked coolly, though she knew already knew the answer. He confirmed it by pressing his lips to hers in a rather inexpressive - though not entirely unpleasant - kiss.

"You said it yourself," Lucius replied with a smirk when he'd pulled away. "We know how this is going to end. We may as well get used to it."

She considered it for a moment; then, with a curt nod, she followed him upstairs to the boy's dormitory.

Narcissa had never been expecting sex to be romantic, so she supposed she wasn't disappointed in the primal, impersonal way he shagged her. It was clear that Lucius was well-practiced, which she didn't particularly mind - at least he wouldn't be bumbling around during the process. This was better, anyway, than trying to talk to him. This was simple - it was obligatory, and if there was anything Narcissa had been trained for, it was that which she was obliged to do.

She left almost immediately afterward; she was not the type that went for a cuddle, and she certainly didn't want to hear Lucius' attempt at pillow-talk. In fact, she rather preferred that he didn't speak at all. He had been right, after all; Narcissa Black was not one for romance. Neither was Lucius Malfoy. For all his nauseating pride and lack of charm, he delivered what she needed - secure finances and acceptable sex, which would give her a pureblooded child.

Lucius Malfoy did not succeed in wooing Narcissa Black, but Narcissa Black did not wish to be wooed - and for that reason, in the end, she became Narcissa Malfoy.

* * *

A/N: That was rather challenging to write, and I'm quite convinced they aren't totally in character - this is one of the first times I've really ventured outside of the Ron/Hermione, Weasley family universe (and to any of my Romione readers - I am working on FAL 19 - it should be up within a week!). To be clear, I do think Lucius and Narcissa grew to at least somewhat care for one another later - perhaps mostly due to a shared affection for Draco. However, this is the first time I've really considered their relationship at length, so perhaps I'm way off. Again, constructive criticism would be helpful - flames, not so much. :)


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